Sadisgate
by AniEnigma
Summary: [Azusa x Reader] You find yourself trapped in the beautiful hellscape of the Vandead Carnival. Life is tough, having to fend off all the hungry vampires. By your host's graces, you're offered some reprieve. However being swept up into a war between two vampire families is not what you had in mind. This isn't your average love story. There will be pain. There will be blood.
1. Carnival of the Dead

**_CARNIVAL OF THE DEAD_**

* * *

 _'They're closing in. Any minute now those beasts will come to devour me whole.'  
Such cruel beasts won't show my poor fragile frame a bit of mercy - they simply __can't._

Hugging your knees tightly, you clutch the makeshift blade in hand. If you were to die tonight, it's best to go out with a fight. Despite all your efforts to remain courageous, your body trembles violently. Silently you curse to yourself for being so weak. If only you'd noticed sooner. If only you weren't so naive as to blindly wander off into this paradoxical hellscape. But how were you supposed to know?

This place appeared to be a beautiful world of fun and enjoyment.

The stalls and vendors all scattered about, the colourful decorations strung along the buildings, it all seemed so charming. With the hustle and bustle of such a place, with all the 'people' going to and fro from ride to ride, it could bring a sense of wonder to a person. Star-crossed lovers and loners alike all in one place for a single purpose. This place, you thought then, was a place of childlike wonder. But no, that's not at all what this place is. This place is a damned window into hell.

 _This place is a Carnival of the Dead._

Loud rapping could be heard upon the door. You grip the blade tighter, shaky but determined. Carefully, you slide away the crowbar you'd used as a barricade. As soon as the door gave way, you swung back your arm. In one swift motion you stabbed the beast square in the eye. Wasting no time, you run off. Several blood-curdling shrieks could be heard upon the other's discovery of their wounded companion. You gave this all little heed. You ran and ran, so much that you felt as if the air had become toxic to your lungs. Ducking through alleyways and behind every object to be found, you made your way out of the area. It's far too dangerous to stay. You could feel it in your gut. This place is nowhere near safe. Something is horribly wrong...

Just being there caused your heart to beat erratically; senses on high alert. A foreboding presence pervaded there. It was so oppressive that you marveled how you hadn't noticed it before! It filled you with a sense of dread, of primal fear. You didn't know much but what you did know was that - You. Need. Out.

You continued to flee until you reached the forest. The trees, dead, twisted and bleak seemed to engulf the moonlit sky with their branches. Such a sight hardly brought you any solace. Nonetheless, this place appeared out of reach from those ghastly things. You slump against a nearby tree. Finally you feel safe.

You have a bit of time to take in your surroundings. A chill ran down your spine when it finally registered how distorted everything seemed. The sky above even held to the abysmal tone of this place.

'Where the hell am I...?' You think to yourself.

You rub your shoulder for even if a bit of comfort. The forest was serene, but still held little escape from your sense of sheer terror. Looking around you frown. From where you sat, you could see the dim lights of the carnival below. You decide to get up and walk around, staring any longer at that accursed place would have driven you mad!

"Even if I don't know where I am...I at least need to find someplace to sleep. But where can I without the constant fear of being murdered?" You mutter to yourself.

Looking all about, you can hardly see much through the darkness; save for the carnivals lights and whatever else the thin beams of moonlight allowed. Shaking your head, you decide to walk off in the direction away from the carnival. Anything but there would be good at the moment.

As you near the top of the hill, you begin to see a new set of lights appear. You quicken your pace. From where you were, you could just make out what was just on the horizon.

"A castle!" You said, a small smile came upon your lips.

"Maybe...just maybe I could get in there...at least for now."

Wishing to waste little time, you ran up the remainder of the hillside separating you from your sanctuary. In case of some sort of scout being upon the castle's walls, you made sure to hide behind a nearby tree. Peering from behind it, you take in the spectacle before you. Despite your present situation, you can't help but take in the grandeur. Such lovely, intricate Gothic architecture could not go unacknowledged. You felt the word "Beautiful..." escape your lips as you took it all in.

"Enchanting, isn't it?"

You whirl around to face a tall, elegant gentleman. His hypnotic golden eyes emitted a faint glow in the moonlight. You froze. Was this it? Had they finally caught up to you? This man could not be human. In light of your obvious fear, the 'man' laughed softly. "No need to fear little one." He reached down his hand to touch your cheek. Instantly you jerked back from the brief contact of his cold skin upon your own. Grabbing his arm, you twist it back. You used your foot to elicit a loud crack. He let out a sharp hiss, his porcelain white fangs on full display. Your gaze darkens at this, giving him a swift kick to the gut before you turn tail to bolt towards the castle. You manage to sneak into the back of the huge castle. Leaning against the wall you attempt to catch your breath.

"They almost had me..."  
You say between heavy breaths. Without realizing it, you held your hand up to your face. You're still trembling.

"This castle belongs to me. Despite your rude behavior..."

It was that voice. You frantically look all about you to no avail. You couldn't locate the origin of his voice. Frightened out of your wits, your whole body shakes. 'Should I run? Should I hold my ground o-or.-?'

"Despite this, I must treat you as my honoured guest dear."

You feel something grab a hold of your shoulders. Before you could react, your body begins to give way. Your vision grows hazy and your heart stops. Finally, your legs gave way and you fall into the strange man's arms. Slowly the lights grow dimmer and dimmer...

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	2. Entertain Me

_**ENTERTAIN ME**_

* * *

"About time."

Light returns to you. All you see are the distinct, handsome details of a face. His eyes, despite their hue, shown a certain softness. Delicate, long white locks carefully fell by your face. His gentle smile had entirely distracted you from the present situation. You blink a moment, tilting your head as you study his countenance. The man's smile grew as his eyes met yours.. You found yourself looking away in embarrassment. _"What's this beautiful creature doing hovering over me?'_

You can't help but lightly blush when his gloved hand guides your gaze back to him. The way he looked down upon you, you'd already tensed - instinctively prepared for a kiss.

"Hmm? Have you already become tame? Now we can't have that." He lightly scolded: his fingers lightly stroking your chin. You held your breath. _'He really is beautiful…'_

You can only stare back up at him in wonder. Something about him, apart from beauty, you found so charming about him.

"Come, it's almost time." He said abruptly.

With the same hand, he pulls you up from the bed. Finally registering his words you blink. "Time? Time for what?" You said, now slowly realizing your predicament. Once you'd fully come to see the gravity of the situation - you choked. You looked to this beautiful creature yet again, now acknowledging him as your captor.

His soft smile never leaving his face, he spoke.

 _"Ah, that's the face."_ He laughed darkly, causing a chill to run down your spine.

"Now it's time for you to go, explore my Carnival to your heart's content."

You narrowed your eyes. "Go..?"

Instinctively you shrunk back, but his hand held you firm in his grasp. "Isn't that where..?"

Your response was a knowing nod from him. Before you could protest, he sweeps you up in his arms. Holding you close, he drifts out of the room. "N-no wait!" You attempt to squirm but his grip on you only tightens. Was he really just going to throw you back with those monsters? In a silent plea, you look up towards his face. He still wore that grin. Instead of eliciting that sense of awe, it made you sick. This man is more of a monster than all who live here.

He stopped at the balcony, taking a brief pause to admire the scenery below. He adjusted you in his arms so you too could see.

"Isn't my Carnival a sight to behold? Look, see how gently its radiance glistens from this spot."

Your heart sank, despite yourself you began to tremble again.

"Everything...so small, so insignificant. It's sickening." He spoke with a slight scowl.

You shot a look up to him in disbelief. How could he both praise and belittle his world in one breath? Let alone how could he with that cruel smile?

In one swift motion he stepped onto the balcony's edge and leapt. You clung onto him for dear life. You could swear your heart had beat out of your chest a long time ago. The world around you all became a blur. Even with the intimate knowledge of this man being your captor, you find yourself burying your face into his cloak; the terrifying sensation of falling to your demise overwhelming you.

A light tap was all you felt.

You slowly opened your eyes. From what you could see you noticed his feet gently touch the ground. Several others had taken notice of your arrival. A crowd formed about you two, their cold eyes studying the small bundle within your captor's arms. Finally looking up from him you take in your surroundings fully. Your eyes widen in terror once you feel all those eyes piercing into you. Your grip on his cloak tightens. He'd landed uptop the carousel, somehow his feet balancing on the tip of it. He looked down upon you, that same smile plastered upon his face. When your eyes met his, he finally spoke.

"The night has just begun. Now little one...provide us some entertainment will you?"

You opened your mouth to interject but he'd lifted you off of him in a single jerk. Your heart sank. With one powerful sweep, he tossed you face first into the ground below. You hit the ground with a thud. Your ears rang from the shock, extremities bloodied from the impact. Groaning, you slowly pick yourself up. As soon as you looked up, it all sunk in. You looked back upon where your captor stood triumphantly. He grinned, lifting his hand to the sky. Every pair of eyes followed that hand upward. He snapped.

In a flash you took off. You didn't need any further explanation.

Several pursued you in a crazed frenzy, other merely looked on the spectacle with sadistic glee.

 _"Why? Why is this happening?"_

All you can do is flee, tears welling up in your eyes.

You had no idea where you where or where you were going.

As you stayed longer in this wretched place, you developed one prime instinct: _survival._

In this seemingly eternal nightmare, this was all you knew. You did somethings you thought you'd never do; things you weren't proud of. That's because your will to live overrides all else.

How much time has passed?

There really isn't a way to tell here. This place is cursed with eternal night. Thus meaning little rest for your poor soul. You did what you had to do to scavenge for food. Your captor never fed you. He'd literally thrown you out to the dogs. You stole, you mugged, once even you killed. For what purpose is all this?

It hurt that you hardly had any recollection of how you'd even got here.

What were those back home doing? You wondered at times if you'd been gone long enough for all to presume you dead. Images of an empty casket, a mass of figures in black, a ingle sobbing mother, all flooded your mind. Friends, family, all holding back their tears as the pastor reads your eulogy, babbling on about how you were 'gone too soon' and are in a 'better place now.' The heart-wrenching sound of your mother's sorrowed pleas to God above to bring her child back to her interrupting it all…

Even so, the only 'reprieve' allowed was when your captor swept you back up to the castle at the end of your trails (as he saw fit). He'd praise or scold you based on your 'performance'. On the days he'd have to swoop in and save you, he'd take you back to the castle and punish you with his rod. Spitting curses at you for being so weak. On days you push through with little or no aid, he'd come to you, warm and gentle. His touch careful and precise as he tends your wounds. However, no matter how he treated you, you despised it all.

You were smart enough to know that compliance was what gave you a chance to make it through - yet it changed little how you thought about this man. At some point you hardly hid your contempt for him, shrinking back from his touch, averting your gaze, shooting him fierce looks of hatred. This merely caused him further amusement. He took in all your emotion with a sense of delight: teasing you often as if you were his 'splendid pet.'

Sometimes you couldn't help but wish for the cowardice of a self-inflicted death.

That luxury, he refused to grant.

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	3. Guest Of Honor

**_GUEST OF HONOR_**

* * *

Somehow the Carnival grew to be even more lively than before.

In your hiding you observed the shopkeepers, vendors and townspeople all hurrying about; all anxious for something. The rides were thoroughly cleaned and renovated. The shops were furnished their exteriors with more elaborate and enticing ornaments and decoration all about the Carnival and town alike. Soon, this whole world seemed so preoccupied with this unperceived event - so much so that several vampires had paid you little mind, even in plain sight. Your curiosity welled up inside of you. Whenever you could, you would attempt to eavesdrop upon gossip of the townsfolk.

"I wonder what they look like!" Giggled one.

"Forget them. I'm more interested in seeing this 'premium prey' with my own eyes." Snickered another.

"Oh stop that, you know she's more important than that." One scolded.

"Ey, do you think we'd be able to get a little taste?" Said another, eyes a light with dark mischief.

"I heard this girl's blood is exceptionally delicious."

All this talk became too much. You simply had to know. Who could be such important guests that this entire world would halt and reform itself just to revolve around them? Even so, this girl they speak of...could she be so special that they'd lose interest in you? You had a looming suspicion that this was the primary cause of the decline of attacks you've had to fend off. If these beasts are beginning to lose interest in you, does that mean he will to? You shivered at the thought. Who knows what that man is capable of once he grows bored of his new toy. Despite all your fears, you held onto your resolve. That night, when he came to you, you held your breath. Clenching your fists, you attempt to build resolve to ask him up front.

As per routine, he you laid you down upon your huge, regal bed. As per routine for you, you avoided his gaze for the entirety of the interaction. He commanded you to hold out your arm. You complied, and he began his inspection. You'd sustained less injury than usual due to all of the commotion, so he soon concluded. Rather than his gentle smile of approval, you were met with a slight frown. He abruptly dropped you and stood. Folding his arms, he paused in thought. You finally look up to him sheepishly. 'Now's my chance…'

You sit up proper to face him. Your heart skips a beat when you see he'd been staring you down yet again with that grin.

Interrupting the piercing silence, he spoke up. "Very good indeed"

He spoke with a sense of finality, which shook you to the core. He can't be done with you already..can he? You tensed. How could you even think like that? Nonetheless you couldn't seem to push past the feeling that this girl rumored with exceptional blood was essentially…

Your replacement.

"You've fared well. I see you've grown accustomed to the ways of my Carnival." He said, countenance beaming with a strange sort of pride. You frowned. All you felt was that you were some sort of lowly rat; forced to scurry about for master's amusement. Even so, he looked upon you as if you were his beloved child; his creation. "I believe now is time for you to reap the rewards for your persistent diligence my dear."

"Diligence?"

You spat out with little thought. He laughed softly and continued on.

"I shall allow you the privilege of securing one of my honored guest's hand. Whomever lays claim to you first shall be the one to take you back home."

Your eyes widen. 'Take their hand? Return home?' What the hell is going on?

"What do you mean..?" You spoke, now in a small, shaky voice.

He soon overcame you with his fierce gaze. It caused you to slowly draw your lips shut.

"It's important you pay heed my dear. Any disobedience will be dealt with swiftly, should you attempt to flee. I wouldn't wish upon you such a fate - not so soon." He said thoughtfully, head raised with such a dramatic flair you couldn't help but scoff.

In a flash he'd caught you. Gripping your hair in his powerful hand, he looked down upon you emotionless. His golden eyes drilling holes into your skull. You yell out in protest when he roughly pulls your face towards him.

"Do you understand? Let me hear it. Come now." He said, eyes fixated upon you pained form.

You hesitated. How can you agree to something like that? You'd taken too much time to response: big mistake. He yanked back harder on your head and repeated himself in a paradoxical calm tone. "Do you understand?" Grinding your teeth you mumbled. "I understand"

Dissatisfied, he tightened his grip, digging his nails into your scalp. You let out another yelp of pain before finally repeating yourself; audibly this time "Yes my lord...I understand."

And just like that he releases you. His grip, just moments before hard, dissolved into gentle strokes upon your disheveled hair. "Good girl." He cooed.

As he lifted himself from you, a shudder ran through your body. 'Take me back home?'

Even with these words you felt no comfort. At this point, though you'd hate to admit it, would you even be able to return? Knowing this man, he would scoop you up like a proud groom, escorting you back to familiar surroundings. With his elegant and regal attire flowing behind as he paraded you back home in his arms. You imagined the look of utter shock melt into tearful rejoice when your mother runs to hold you. You see your captor giving them that same humble smile whilst waving away the onslaught of gratitude poured upon him.

Happily you would live at home reunited by your family's side until...his return.

All will be well until he decides to come back for you. His kindness dissolving into bitter cruelty as he rips you from your screaming mother's arms. What's worse is in the event of a hail of curses being spat upon him, you wouldn't put it past this beast to slay them all on the spot. With all of this plaguing your mind you couldn't possibly even desire to learn which one of those accursed guests will be taking your hand. Each and everyone is most likely as cruel as he. You were going to be thrown out to the first who sets eyes on you.

"They'll be here soon my dear." His reverberating voice shattered your thoughts, bringing you to back to the equally bleak reality. "Come, we must have you dressed properly. They must find something appealing enough about you."

You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from lashing out. Clenched fist and disheveled hair, you simply comply and take his hand. He held you arm in arm as you strode down the long, dark candlelit hall. You head downcast, the walk feels like an eternity. A sense of nausea begins to overtake you, eyes hazy and unfocused…

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	4. The Arrival

**_THE ARRIVAL_**

* * *

The streets breathed new life. The day, the time, the hour had finally come.

The sons of Karheinz were now walking through the town's ebony gates. At this point you had little need to hide from those around you. They all were intensely enthralled with the spectacle before them. Nothing else mattered to them it seemed. It was not so in the literal, with everyone crowding the gates, all clamoring to catch if only but a glimpse. It was more a sort of air that prevaded the town. The people nearest the gates would linger, whispering amongst themselves as they leisurely made their way through. The character of the entire world had shifted, tensions high. Everyone seemed on edge, everyone beside you for a change. You too had gotten caught up in it all however. Soon you came down from the high and fell into a sort of watchful serenity to the world around you. This new sort of freedom was unprecedented to you. Your only motivation to continue to stay hidden was by your captors words…

 _"Whomever lays claim to you first"_

You peeked from around the corner once they'd come into view. Indeed, you couldn't pass this opportunity up. Even through all your fears, your curiosity reigned. You reasoned with yourself, saying that 'It'd be best to know their faces. They'll be easier to avoid that way.' You knew that wasn't the truth. You were dying to know who exactly these people are, what they look like, which would be the one to...Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. No. You can't let that happen...Even in the event it has to be, at least you could judge which would be the least cruel. Really though, it felt as if you had to choose between the needle or the blade. Neither pleasant, one simply less painful than the other.

You'd managed to sneak into a shop upstairs that had closed down for the event. Crouching behind the safe by the window, it gave you a decent view of the so called important guests. Lucky for you, the balcony of the storefront laid in direct view of the gates. It sat at a slight angle, slightly turned, thus providing an ideal vantage point

You counted them.

1...2..4...6. There were six of them in all. The lot of them strode in with a sense of indifference in contrast to the town's excitement. To them, it seemed as if this was merely a diversion, like a forced vacation from your superior. Typical, the world dances for them alone and yet they don't seem to give a damn. You held onto every little negative quirk you could about these men, logging it all into your mental list. How could you not think lowly of them? Anxiety ate at you knowing that one of these men would basically 'claim' you like some sort of cheap prize.

Wait. You perked up a bit. One by one they collectively halted at the sight of several other men just out of your view. If something caught their interest, it most certainly held yours. You carefully crept a little further out from behind the safe, making up for it by crouching lower than before. Your extravagant attire didn't help much in the matter, but you made due.

There was four more men accompanied by a young girl. Your eyes widened.

"It's her…" You mouthed, heart slowly sinking within your chest.

The group of six all positioned themselves parallel to the other. The tallest of the latter pushed the girl behind him, as they turned to face them. You gathered what you could hear from where you lay…

"Hmm? What have we here?" The more refined one spoke, adjusting his spectacles as he eyed the group before him.

"Oi, what the hell are these guys doing here?" Another spoke up, his hair as fiery as his manner of speech.

"What a pain…" said one, making a motion to avert his gaze.

The smallest of them all had been gripping his stuffed bear tightly as they spoke. Thankfully they'd finished soon enough; any longer and you were certain he would have completely crushed the thing's head. The embodiment of pure spite, he'd been shooting daggers with his gaze. With a snarl he piped up. "How dare she betray us! You're a filthy traitor just as I thought!"

Fangs bared, he spat such hateful words towards the girl. The tallest of the opposing group merely held her behind him and snarled back; fangs bared. Out of nowhere the boys shrieks dissolved into childish laughter. Ignoring the ferocity in his opponent's expression, he held his bear up to face him. "Hey Teddy...how about we just kill her? She can't be forgiven for such a disrespectful act..can she Teddy?"

"Shut it will you!" Yelled one, fists clenched. "No one wants to hear your bratty ranting!"

"Subaru, Kanato, that's enough." Said the refined one with a distinct frown. "While her actions have proven to be highly dishonourable, you mustn't stoop to her level with such carelessness."

"Aw~ Why don't you lighten up a bit Reiji?" Cooed one with a smirk. "Why can't we all have some fun with the Little Bitch? I bet she'd love it." He shot his gaze over towards her, causing her instinctively shrink back, clinging to her protector's back.

"Ey! Not on my watch you sick bastard!" Sneered he. "The sow belongs to us now ya hear? Eh? Aristocrat swine!"

"Yuma." spoke another in their party. "Let's not do this here."

"Tch." He said, raising his head to look down upon his rivals.

The blonde one chuckled at this. "I guess I shouldn't say what I was gonna then should I~?" He smirked to what seemed to be their leader.

"No, you too Kou. Stop." He replied, visibly irritated with their behaviour. He paused to look down to the smallest of their group. Showing little interest, he merely held his hand to his mouth, nibbling on his finger as if a nervous habit.

Before their banter could continue on, their host arrived. You lept back once you saw him appear. You'd seen him so many times before, yet he still caused you such displeasure. With open arms he greeted them. Welcoming them to his 'beloved' Carnival, he enticed them to enjoy it all to their hearts' content. They all received him with stern acceptance. Daring to peer again from behind your spot, you freeze: staring him down now. You could have sworn that this was your captor, yet he looked and even sounded like a completely different person. You didn't like this, not at all. The possibility of there being more than one man like him in the world made you more than uncomfortable. Your mood completely ruined, you decided now was the best time to slip away - before those _beasts_ were let loose into the Carnival.

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**

* * *

[ _AUTHORS NOTE_ : In response to the lovely review(s); Thank you all and yes there will be _that_ in this story. It won't go how you expect it to go down however - in a good way (╯✧▽✧)╯

Sadists rejoice. When the time comes, this story will hold true to its title. ]


	5. Distance

_**DISTANCE**_

* * *

The boys had somehow come to the agreement to disperse from now; neither seeing the point in fighting at the moment. While the Sakamaki brothers each went off into their own directions, by Ruki's word, the Mukami family had concluded it best to stick together. According to him, Yui's protection was their highest priority during their stay at the Carnival.

Once they were out of sight, Ruki heaved a heavy sigh.

"Yuma, must you agitate them? We weren't invited here for a fight." Ruki said, his fierce gaze fixed upon him.

"Eh, yeah I got it. I got it." Yuma retorted, clenching his fist.

"Seeing their stupid faces just pisses me off."

"Hmm~?" Kou chimed in.

"But did ya hear what the little brat said about our Masokitty? Maybe you shoulda punched him anyway!"

Ruki merely shook his head in response. "I said enough. Focus on enjoying yourselves here, understood?" He paused to look them in the eye, confirming he held their utmost attention. "No more talk of the Sakamaki Family."

The two merely shrugged, their nonchalant action soon corrected by Ruki's sharp glare. Turning his attention from the troublemakers, he turned to Yui. Without a word, he motioned to her. Instantly she understood and soon stood by his side, nervously looking up to his displeased countenance. Yuma frowned, as he watched Yui go. Kou giggled and muttered something to him, causing him to raise his fist in frustration. With a sigh, Ruki ordered them to get a move on. Easily they complied.

Upon walking off Ruki froze. He took a quick glance behind him. One of their party was missing. Yui nearly ran into him as he'd abruptly stopped. "Is something wrong Ruki..?" She spoke timidly. Her only reply was.

"Azusa."

The smallest Mukami had stayed behind, his eyes focused upon a single distant spot. All the commotion from earlier had hardly registered. He looked on, as if expecting something significant to happen. It took a while before the others had even noticed Ruki and Yui had even stopped. Kou happened to look behind him and saw their still forms. He tapped Yuma's arm. He growled at him before taking a quick look back, curious to find the reason for Kou's rare silence. As soon as he noticed it his younger brother off in a daze, he called out to him. "Ey, Azusa! The Carnival's this way."

He slowly turned his head towards Yuma's voice. The only reply he got was a slight nod and a thoughtful murmur as Azusa looked away. The others looked at each other. Yuma shrugged and Kou made a passing comment of Azusa being problematic again.

A light touch was laid upon Azusa's shoulder. He looked up to see Ruki beside him, staring off in the same direction. "What is it Azusa?" He said, scanning the area. Azusa looked back one last time before shaking his head. "It's...nothing." He murmured, his hand covering his lips as he spoke. Ruki sighed and asked if he was certain. "Let's go...then" Azusa began to trail off on his own towards the others. With a distinct sense of displeasure, Ruki took his last look back before he too went off to join the group.

None of them thought it best to bother Azusa further about it. This was supposed to be a time of celebration within the Daemon world. They all vowed to do their best to do just that. The Mukami family had plenty cause to rejoice after all. Not only were they allowed to attend the renowned Vandead Carnival but also they'd recently were able to secure Eve. Thus, with Karheinz's blessing, they were able to continue on with pride.

It didn't take much for the boys to enjoy themselves. One would suppose that living a previous life of poverty would cause them all to harbour a deeper sense of gratitude than those born into luxury. Even if they all didn't openly admit it, they were content.

 _~ To a certain extent ~_

While Azusa did manage to smile a few times, Ruki still felt concern for him. He knew Azusa had been depressed. Ever since their mission to awaken Adam had been put into effect, he hadn't been himself. Ruki supposed that the pressure to succeed had gotten to him as well as he. However, Azusa seemed to have almost completely shut down. After a while, he hardly even looked at Yui. He had hardly been talking to the family lately. At the dinner table, Azusa wouldn't eat a bite. He'd merely stare off down into the plate before him. The only time he'd even make a movement towards the food was that one time when Yuma got fed up and accidently dumped the entire bottle of chili powder onto it.

They all knew why he'd act this way, but this would only make them all more uneasy. Azusa is painfully aware of himself, but he can't help it. Every time he noticed even the slightest amount of discomfort upon Yui's face, he'd excuse himself abruptly and trudge out the door. There really wasn't much the brothers could do. The others figured this phase would pass, but Ruki knew better. While Ruki didn't want to see his brother as competition, he still harboured powerful ambition. Of course he'd be proud of his brothers if one of them became Adam instead, but nonetheless Ruki was determined to be the one. At this point, chances of Azusa even achieving this had faded into nothingness on account of his recent behaviour.

For Azusa's sake, Ruki had instructed the others not to feed on Eve while their brother was present. They outwardly complied but he had no concrete way of enforcing it. With this thought in mind, he sighed.

Running his fingers through his hair, he slowly looked about. The others had all gathered around a single game. Yuma had been aggressively smashing at the little plastic priests that reared their heads from the machine. Kou was on the sidelines egging him on. Yui was quite uncomfortable with the imagery but still cheered him on with uncertainty. A small smile came upon Ruki's lips upon viewing the scene.  
Seeing his brothers so content brought him a sense of pride.

He cared deeply for all of them, despite the fact he'd never say such a thing aloud. Ruki's eyes now drifted to Azusa. He'd been standing at Yuma's side, admittedly a bit too close. His gaze was fixed upon the game. Once Ruki noticed the twisted glee Azusa displayed with each priest pummeled with the mallet, he frowned. 'Why must he do this to himself?' He thought, shaking his head. 'He is not a poor beggar anymore...we're not his abusers, so why?'

Ruki found himself lost deep in thought. With furrowed brow, he held his hand to his face. "No, we're here to enjoy ourselves..such matters can be sorted out later." He muttered to himself. In an attempt to relax, Ruki decided to take in the world around him. The lights, the decorations, all painting the Carnival with its cheery aurora. The shops were all perfectly lit. Their interiors' delicately arranged with the finest pieces one could find. The dedication to such refined taste cause Ruki's smile to faintly return. With a sigh he returned his gaze to his brothers. Insistent he keep an eye on them lest they begin their petty squabbles again. But as soon as he smile came, it left.

Where is Azusa?

He shot up from his seat. Ruki was able to feel some relief upon seeing Yui still remained by Yuma's side. He really hated to think of his brother like that but even so. In Azusa's current state, he could become desperate. His eyes looked about the area in vain. Ruki could find no traces of the boy.

"Heeeey~ I wanna play now Yuma! You've been hogging the game this entire time." Whined Kou.

"Ha-? No way. I'm racking up a shit-ton of tokens. Go play some other game." Yuma huffed as he raised the mallet for another go.

"Aaaw but Yuma! There's plenty of other games for you to smash shit. Come on, I just want to play it for five seconds." Kou shot back, grabbing hold of Yuma's arm.

"Ey, Lemme go! What did I just tell ya? If you aren't gonna watch then scram!" Yuma snarled, jerking his arm back.

Yui was situated directly behind the quarreling pair. She attempted to quietly propose a compromise. Yuma flatly declined, causing Kou to whine even more. This carried on until they noticed Ruki's heavy footsteps approaching them. They froze, all sensing the gravity of his demeanour.

"Have you all been so dense not to notice?" Ruki spoke, fangs bared.

They exchanged glances with each other, entirely clueless. A light gasp was heard from Yui once she'd finally realized. Yuma eyed her, brow raised. With a frown Ruki spoke.

"Azusa is gone."

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


	6. Eyes of a Devil

_**EYES OF A DEVIL**_

* * *

"I can't believe I've made it this far…" You mumble to yourself as you strolled through the elaborate park.

Prior to all this commotion, it would have been impossible for you to be able to traverse the cobblestone path of the Carnival park. It is located on the far end of the town. Any attempt to even make it through the town proved futile, as chances of being spotted rose exponentially the deeper you treked. Rather than trouble yourself with mindless exploration, you merely had grown accustomed to pinpointing areas of general inactivity and sticking with them until they proved to be otherwise. Then it was on to the next spot.

As of now, you truly were free to peruse the Carnival and its limits to your heart's content. Well admittedly, there was one deranged bastard who tried to jump you. He was easy to evade. You dispatched him with haste and continued on your way. You did question leaving that horrid bloody corpse in the open, so you did have the decency of tossing it into a nearby dumpster. You thoroughly buried him under all of the rubbish. Somehow you felt that in reality, that's where he and all like him truly belong.

Despite the gorgeous spectacle about you, with the paved street gently lit by the lamplight, you could even still not put your mind at ease. Yes, you had been attacked within the same day but this wasn't the same. That girl...those men...they were the reason you'd even consider to venture off this far. You wanted to be as far away from them as humanely possible. Really, you wanted nothing to do with any of this. Yet here you are. You rubbed your shoulders as you looked over your shoulders for the thirteenth time. Even with all of these worries, you had a more present fear which surpassed them in this present moment. Someone's watching.

You can feel it. You're certain of it. Thanks to your life at the Carnival, you became very familiar with the feeling. You had to in order to survive for this long. What truly unsettled you was that even after walking through the entire town and out to the park, it hadn't attacked or shown its face once. That's not normal. You had this feeling not long after you left the Carnival's main hub. This is far too long to be watched...

Strong, you have to remain strong.

Biting your lip, you press on. Your feet began to move on their own as you followed blindly the way the path took you. The sting of regret tormented your heart. You'd been out in the open too long.

If this beast is waiting for a chance to strike then now would be a prime opportunity. So why haven't they? The weight of not knowing crushed you: your anxiety running haywire.

Your eyes widen as you approached the end of the path. The walkway opened off onto the pavement of the lakeside's stretch. The gentle waves of the lake brought you little contentment however. Nonetheless you press on. Taking a quick look over your shoulder, you scurry onto the boardwalk: the trees of the park obscuring the path you now took.

The boardwalk seemed to go on forever. This massive body of water however, one could see its end. As you took to one of the curves in its path, you caught sight of someone leaning upon the railing ahead. Your heart stopped.

It's one of them.

There he was, totally oblivious to your presence. His head, up towards the sky, remained motionless. You heard him heave a heavy sigh and adjust the hand his chin rested upon. With that you twitched, any sort of movement put you on edge. You waited for him to settle back in before you slowly took a step back. Nothing…

Good. You continue taking slow, deliberate steps back, eyes fixated on his form. You'd just about made it out of eye's reach when you noticed him mutter something. His head turned ever so slightly. With that you turn heel and run.

The moment you looked behind you, you saw no signs of a pursuer. You managed a slight smile to yourself as you press on. Before you got far, the moment you turned your head back, you crashed face first into a wall of flesh. Falling back, you shot your head towards the obstacle. Your heart sunk into your chest. It was him. How? How is that possible? Somehow the one you saw far off behind only moments ago was now standing above you. A peculiar grin was plastered upon his face.

Gritting your teeth you curse to yourself. Damn vampires and their impossible levels of perception….

You slowly stood, head lowered. Clenched fists and breath heaving, you began to tremble. You'd been caught. This bastard laid claim to you. Judging by his sheer speed, it'd be futile to run. You had no idea what to expect from this one. All the interactions you'd had with a more 'human' (using the term loosely) vampire was your captor. By pure habit you stood, awaiting some sort of punishment for attempting to flee. If he wouldn't then surely he would What did he expect? How could you not run from such a prospect? You held your breath.

After all, this one must have been the one who'd been watching you. The curiosity began to eat you alive. You desperately wanted to see your stalker's face but yet…

"Nfu~ what do we have here?" He said, looking down upon you. His voice was laced with a sort of playfulness. This surprised you. His personality from that alone was drastically different than your captors.

"Now how did something as enticing as you end up here~?" He said, now leaning down to inspect you a bit more closely. You turn your gaze away immediately. You didn't breathe a word. After waiting a short while, he lightly sighed and withdrew.

"Come on now, don't be shy~" He cooed. "Let's see that pretty face." When you remained as you were, it was in that moment it registered to him he was talking to a wall. He sighed again, more deeply this time.

"Hey~" He said after a long pause.

You looked up slightly upon hearing his tone darken. You let out a surprised squeak when you felt his hand cup your cheek, it firmly guiding your head to face his. You gulp once you see how close he was to you. He actually was admittedly quite handsome. He didn't have the same feminine, beautiful charm your captor did but he did possess a pair of bewitching emerald eyes.

A light blush was upon his face. That made you a bit nervous. He gave you a smile before drawing his hand back. He slowly drew his eyes, scanning your entire frame. It made you shiver. Frowning, you looked directly at him.

'Shit, I've been spotted by the pervert.'

Upon locking eyes with you again, he let out a playful little laugh.

"What's wrong? Can't I like what I see~?" He teased.

Brow raised, you scoffed. "It is if you're so damn creepy about it." You mutter under your hands held your shoulders as if to shield yourself from the his gaze. His grin merely grew wider. Of course he heard that, but unfortunately he didn't seem deterred in the slightest.

"Well~ since you don't seem bothered to fill me in on how you got here...I may as well show you a good time. Besides, we're all here to have some fun, aren't we~?" Instantly you picked up on his tone. You really didn't like where this was going.

From what you'd witnessed back at the gates, you already had no respect for him. Narrowing your eyes, you fold your arms. But really what are you supposed to do? Failure to comply meant death...no...worse. Even so, having been chosen by such a man made it phenomenally more difficult to bear through. He already had begun to unsettle you, and you'd only been with him for a matter of minutes.

"Aw~ you don't believe me?" He said, his hand combing through his groomed red hair. "It's a gentleman's duty to show a pretty lady around you know~" He added with a playful wink sent your way. Still unamused, you hold your ground. It pained you to not be able to say what you please. You hardly know this man. You had no idea what would make him snap.

He stepped closer towards you, looking down upon you with a devious smirk. You timidly lookup to meet his gaze. No matter how you looked at him, one could clearly see the glint of mischief behind those eyes. "Come on now~" He trailed off. You stiffen when you feel his hand stroke your neck. You try to stand and bear it but it didn't take long before you'd jerked back once his hand continued to progress downward. By sheer reflex you smacked his hand away. He let out a small exclamation of surprise. You froze where you were. Had you upset him?

No. His smile soon returned. Grinning devilishly, he merely continued teasing you, fully aware he'd had you within his grasp. 'This is going to take a while to get used to.' You think to yourself.

"Well~ you're a stubborn one aren't you?" He said, looking you over yet again.

"Good~ you'll be such a perfect Little Bitch. Won't you?"

You stared at him, eyes wide. What did he just say?

Clenching your fists, you look up to him with fiery eyes. His smile only grew as he took several more steps forward, causing you to take two more steps back. He drives you back until you're startled by the tap of the metallic railing behind you. You shoot a quick look back. Shit. he's got you cornered. You gulped. 'Oh god what is he planning to do…' Your whole body tensed as you began to completely lose yourself within that devil's eyes.

"Y'know~ your body is much more honest…" He cooed, now only a hand's length away from you. His hand laid to rest on both sides of the railing, trapping you between them. Being so close to him, you could feel his leg easing up between yours. You scrunched back as much as you could, but he soon made up the distance between you. "So, what should we do first?"

Quick. You needed to distract him somehow. Make the most of it.

"Your name. What is it?" You said abruptly, barely holding his gaze now. He raised an eyebrow, giving you such a look of amusement. "Hmm~ if you have to know." He replied plainly. "Laito."

"Laito..?" You repeated absentmindedly. He perked up upon hearing you say his name. His pearly white fangs exposed to the moonlight.. Seeing those things made you all the more nervous. Taking a deep breath, you use both of your hands to lightly press him away from you. Laito's gaze fell down to your hands upon his chest. He took a couple steps back. He looked to you with a look of hunger in his eyes.

"Look...uhm." You looked around for an ideal place to go without giving him the advantage. You didn't see much anything really; the curves of the lakeside path prevented you from doing so. For certain you didn't want to return to the Carnival nor the town. Yet even being left alone any longer with this pervert didn't excite you either. Not left with many options, you merely decide to play along for now. "Let's just take a walk around the lake, okay?" You gave him a stern look. He agreed with a slight nod, brow raised yet again.

Laito easily kept up with your pace, never failing to catch up when you'd tried to walk faster. You didn't get to enjoy a brief moment of silence. It wasn't long until he began to run his mouth again. You didn't really register what he said. You were too busy with trying to think of escape routes next him he'd try to pull something like that.

Laito suddenly snapped his fingers, causing you to jump a bit. Looking at him, you could see the excitement upon his face. "I thought of the perfect thing for us to do together~"

"Oh, what's that?" You say, looking sideways at him.

"What better way to get to know each other than a nice little gondola ride?" He said, smiling wide. You pause a moment in thought. Instant conclusion: bad idea. You shook your head, giving the excuse of seasickness. Laito wined a bit before suggesting something else. "Well~ what about the carousel?"

You shot him a look. You knew what he was doing. He'd suggested the exact kind of places you didn't want to be trapped with him in. "N-no, I'm...afraid of heights." You said, averting your gaze. There was no way you'd go back to the Carnival now. You feared risking being spotted not only by one of the other men, but even so be attacked by another crazed, feral vampire.

Laito sensed your unease and placed his hand on your head. You jumped a bit, unsure about his gentle action. He drew your head to rest upon his chest. Your heart began to beat faster when you couldn't find a heartbeat of his own. "Hmm~ since you're unsure…" Laito spoke, gently stroking your hair. "I'll choose."

You let out a surprised yell when in one motion he'd scooped you up. You choked. It was just like your captor when...You trembled simply by recalling such trauma. Laito chuckled and held you tighter. "I choose...the gondola."

Instantly you protest, reiterating your apparent seasickness. He merely shrugged. "I'm sure you'll be fine." He shot you a coy smile. Eyes wide, it hit you. Somehow he knew your real fear. He'd seen right through your lie.

Helpless in his arms, all you could do was curl up and wait to reach your destination. What bothered you most, even now, was the unsettling feeling of being watched. Initially you'd assumed Laito was the culprit and yet, this whole time it'd been there. You, for once in your god-forsaken life had hoped that it really was your captor. Better him than some blood thirsty beast. You were worn out. You were on edge. Despite being through with dealing with this man, nonetheless you compiled in fear of not only your own safety but of your family's back home as well.

You felt a heavy sense of dread as he carried you through the lakeside path. The gondola came into view. Your sense of despair only deepened. What perversions did this man have in mind for something so innocent as a ride around the lake?

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


	7. Filthy Rat

_**FILTHY RAT**_

* * *

The night was still. The light of the moon illuminated everything within it's reach. It casting eerie shadows upon those not so fortunate. Alas, the very same shadows cast a significant one upon your heart. The stress, the fear soon returning to you. It greeted you as if an old friend. It weighed you down as you laid within Laito's arms. You were just dreading, waiting, for the time he'd ' _take you home.'_ Even so, did he really find it necessary to prolong the inevitable with such frivolous things?

Once you'd arrived to the port, despite your insistence of walking on your own two feet, Laito still held onto you. As expected, the exterior of the place was spectacular. Intricate, delicate, yet highly functionable. The hood of the gondola was decorated tastefully with the Capricorn Ram; two crescent moons flanking each side.

Laito addressed the captain casually, so much so that you'd figure he'd known this man for years. In stark contrast, the captain greeted you both with a dead stare. Laito shrugged it off and took this as permission to board. The captain's gaze merely followed you both as you made your way onto the gondola. Once finally aboard, he slowly turned his head back. You shivered. This captain was more zombie than vampire.

As soon as Laito had taken his seat, you took the opportunity to spring up out of his grasp. Brushing yourself off, you shot a glare back at him.

"Why so cold Little Bitch~?" he chuckled, eying you down. "You really are living up to the name aren't you?"

You scowled at the sound of the new name he'd given you. How the hell were you supposed to get used to _that_? With a sigh you turn your back to him. It wasn't worth getting angry about now. Too much was at stake here. Looking at that face any longer and you were sure you'd smash it in.

"I never wanted to be here in the first place..."' you finally spoke.

"Hmm~?" Laito hummed. You imagined him actually paying heed to you, judging by his apparent stillness. You decide it might be worth your time to vent; just a little. If anything, it'd calm your unease, even if just a little bit.

"I hate it here. Being hunted down, having to steal to survive every damned day. I hate the people, I hate the town, I hate the Carnival - I despise everything about this god-forsaken hellhole." You spoke through gritted teeth, now practically shaking from your rage.

Suddenly, you feel yourself pulled back by the hand. You land with a light thud right into Laito's lap. He wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you closer than ever. Being caught so off guard you couldn't help but blush a bit at his sudden change. He really is an unpredictable son of a bitch.

"Aw…" he cooed, leaning in closer to you. "I'll make it all better."

His breath now tickling your ear, you shivered. He laughed softly before continuing. "Nfu~ those lowly dogs won't be able to take you anymore."

From what you could, you looked to him in surprise.

"That's because you're _my Little Bitch_." With this, he stroked the tip of your ear with his tongue. You jumped a little, snapping out of your trance. You began to attempt to wriggle away frantically. He held you firmly in place. "Can't have you running off before we have our fun ~hmm?"

Laito's hold suddenly became rough when he turned your head to the side, exposing your neck to him. With one jerk, he snapped your necklace right off. "What the hell are you doing?" You shrieked, still attempting to break free. You shot a look towards the captain. His form remained fixated on the task before him. He showed no signs of acknowledgement of the current situation. Bitterly you tense up. This man truly was as soulless and dead as his countenance displayed.

Leaning back to your ear Laito whispered. "He can't save you Little Bitch~"

He laughed. You jerked your head away from him. What you didn't know was this was exactly the reaction he'd been looking for. You felt his grip around you only tighten as he grazed your bare neck with his tongue. You loudly protest but he paid you no heed. A scream of pain was heard once he'd sunk his fangs in. Deeper and deeper he dug into your throat, causing you immense amounts of pain. The sound of him drinking your blood rang through your ears. You sealed your eyes shut, hoping if only it'd just all end. If only you could just die right then and there.

As he continued on, the sounds grew into something else entirely. With each intake he'd moan into it. Despite yourself, you felt your body grow hot: being so close like this, having to hear such lewd sounds. Soon however, your body was granted a moment of reprieve once he'd finally withdrew. Shaky, you stared at the ground in shock.

He just...you'd just been bitten for the first time.

For the first time in your stay in this hellscape - you'd been bitten.

You had little time to recover when Laito noticed your distressed realization. "First time~? Nfu, I'm glad." He said, hovering over your ear yet again. "I'll bury my fangs into you more and more - until you're just _begging_ me for it."

Your breath grew faster and your heart beat rose. No, you'd never become like that. You vowed you'd never reach such a level of depravity. Yet you thoroughly cursed your body for responding in such ways, thus only encouraging Laito further. He bit back down into you, now down into your shoulder. Every muscle in your body tensed. Did he have to cause such pain? Let alone in multiple spots about your body? He moaned into each sip, somehow instinctually driving you insane. You continously cursed every part of your physical being for submitting to such vulgarity. The only thing you could ever be proud of is the longer it went on, the more your body began to relax. He was draining the very life from you. Your face grew flushed, you slowly began losing what strength you had.

...

Laito had completely lost himself with your blood. Admittedly it wasn't as sweet and addictive as Yui's, but even so, it held its own unique charm. Clinging to you like this...he felt as if he could stay there forever - draining every last drop of blood from your body. His moans grew more desperate as he sank his fangs in deeper, causing his prey to cringe yet again in pain. He really couldn't get enough. Due to the bitter sense of loss he'd felt once Yui was snatched away by them. He'd grown especially insatiable now that his prime meal had been stolen. Now he has you. He was not about to let this one leave so easily.

He lazily opened his eyes, still taking small sips from your wound. Laito was greeted by a pair of scarlet red eyes peering at him from the opposite end of the boat. Eyes now fully open, he could see it was a sleek, black rat. He took a moment to withdraw, lapping up what blood was leftover. With a devilish grin, he adjusted you in his lap. At this point you'd become as good as a mere toy in his arms - complying entirely. Staring the creature dead in the eyes, he sunk his fangs in, somehow deeper than before. You yelled out in pain as he'd dug them in further. The rat stared back for a moment. Soon it scurried up and away to the top of the gondola, disappearing entirely. Laito laughed to himself in victory. He let his eyes close yet again as he now more gently continued drinking what blood he could before you'd pass out.

...

Not soon enough, he released you. You collapsed to the other side of the bench, trying to hold yourself up. From all the blood you'd lost, you'd become shaky. Your arms having tremors just from supporting your own weight. Slowly, you turn to face Laito, who was looking up towards the roof.

"You bastard." You said, each word laced with malice.

Laito's eyes met yours and to your displeasure, he shot you that damned smile. "You hate me...don't you?" He said, now looming over you. You skittered back, but soon your arms gave way. Laito crawled on top of you, his eyes almost glowing in the moonlight. Your eyes grew wide upon seeing the remnants red; the red of your own blood upon his lips. The blush upon his face had deepened, this somehow leaving you more unsettled than before. He wasn't going to...not here. Would he? You held your breath and stared defiantly back up him.

With a satisfied grin, he looked you over yet again; eating you up with just his gaze. Licking his lips, he began to laugh softly. "You already want it...don't you Little Bitch?" he spoke with a tone meant for seduction; filled with lust. You looked away and gritted your teeth. Flatly you declined. He merely leaned in closer, his face only a foot away from yours.

"Beg for it."

The gondola made impact with the dock, causing the whole thing to shake. You managed to hold Laito back from actually closing the gap between you with what little strength you could muster. With a sigh he looked up. "Hmm~ maybe it's best to keep you waiting." He looked back down to you, leaning back in for one last time to your ear. "You'll only want it more later."

You scoffed, only earning another laugh from him.

It was a wonder that you were able to walk off that damned boat. Perhaps it was due to the fact you had a chance to rest your legs in the most uncomfortable position. You only had enough to walk rather slowly, but it was still something. Laito had taken your hand and escorted you of the gondola; like a gentleman. You didn't accept his hand immediately of course, but once you did you were pleasantly surprised. Part of you expected him to throw you back down. Still you remained cynical about this man. It's way too easy for one to get swept up in his pace. No other man had ever left you feeling more disgusting and violated after a simple gondola ride.

* * *

 _[Authors Note: I know you all are tired of waiting~_

 _No worries my darlings, our little angel will soon appear]_

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


	8. Run

**_RUN_**

* * *

"Hmm~ what to do now?"

Laito trailed off, his gaze fixed upon the moon above.

You didn't like it one bit, but you had to cling to Laito's arm for support from all the blood loss. You spoke up, hoping to distract him from any new ideas his twisted mind could concoct. "Can't I choose now?" you glared up at him.

He paused a moment before concluding with a simple shrug. "Fair enough, where should we go next, _Queen Bitch_ ~?"

Great.

You've earned a marginally less degrading take on your horrid nickname. Honestly though, would it be more or less so? You really didn't know at this point. Shaking it off, you heave a heavy sigh. There won't be much else to do on this side of the Carnival as far as you knew. You weren't about to ask Laito for any suggestions either. All you really could do now was suggest a long, non-traumatizing activity until your captor returned for you. It had to be soon. This day seemed as if it'd gone on forever.

"Let's take a walk through the park." you said.

Laito merely nodded slowly. "Hmm~ Maybe on the way back to the Carnival we could stop by the shops? I'll show you all the good stuff to eat." He shot you another coy smile. Even though you'd finally spoken your mind, looks like he still ended up deciding for you. You merely rolled your eyes, already taking steps towards the park. Already you felt your opinion was worthless and you'd hardly spent a day with him. You hardly reacted when he swung his arm around your waist as the two of you carried on. Adding to your sense of shame, you also had to cling to him for support.

The park was just as you'd left it. To think that the last time you were here, you were free. Now here you are, claimed by this bastard; as if your spirits could sink any lower at this point. If there was such a way, Laito was sure to find it. Never feeling so degraded in your life, you continued on together through the park. You felt as if you were his little prize on full display, being paraded through. You knew this feeling would only be magnified exponentially once you two would hit the Carnival.

The scenery was all the same. The Gothic street lamps cast an eerie yet sufficient amount of light upon the path. It not allowing much room to see beyond. You grew more uneasy with each step. You found yourself tightening your hold upon Laito. A sense of fear overcame you. You knew that whoever was watching was near. Terrified you halted where you were, unable to take a step further. You looked all about you, but such revealed no clues as to where such a foreboding gaze came.

Who were you kidding? How the hell could this be your captor? During your stay here, he'd never made his presence known until the end. Why change that now? So who is it? It wasn't the bastard attached to your hip as you first expected. Then who could it be? Your mind cycled through a myriad of possibilities. Your deepest fear was it being another one of them: the damned guests of honour. Mind jumping to the worst, what if you were killed in a battle between two of them? Of what if they found it fit to toss you between them, like some sort of sick plaything. You weren't sure which was worse at this point. The pressure of failure, compliance and preservation of your pride all came upon you at once.

Laito waited patiently, for a moment. He looked at you quizzically as you froze in place.

With a light laugh he leaned down to you. "Afraid of the dark~?" he teased.

You jumped a bit at the sound of his voice, but his words hardly registered. Your senses were all far too preoccupied with searching for a sign; anything to identify your persistent stalker. What if he attacked you? Then this bastard would have to protect you, thus you'd have to be indebted to him. You cringe at the thought. Any sort of growing closer to this man thoroughly displeased you. What if this? What if that? The endless cycle wheeled through your mind.

All you heard was a slight murmur before you found your head turned abruptly. Before you could register what was happening, Laito had you in his grasp yet again. Drawing you in, he takes you into a deep kiss. Just like that, you'd forgotten everything. Dazed, you found yourself fading away….for a moment.

... As soon as it began, it ended. ...

You felt his weight shoved off of you. As soon as you felt his presence disappear so suddenly, your eyes shot open. Laito was laying on the ground, several feet away. His head apparently had hit the ground pretty hard. Blinking for a moment, you look to your hands. There was no way in hell they could have done that..so what?

"Are you...alright?" A small voice was heard nearby.

You jumped back. You'd hardly noticed this one before and he'd been standing right beside you. What frightened you most was that if he hadn't spoke, you probably would have never known he was there. Wide eyed, you looked to him. He didn't look back. His gaze was fixed upon Laito's fallen form upon the ground. The displeasure upon his face told you everything you needed to know about their relation to each other. Going with your initial suspicion, you begin to back away slowly. This was a quarrel you wanted no part of; especially not if this was…

His gaze drifted to you. He blinked a moment as he picked up on your current action. Timidly he held his sleeve up, as if to cover his soured expression. Well shit, he noticed you. Just to be safe, you stopped where you were, awaiting this man's next move. He merely stared you down for the moment.

With a slight tilt of his head he spoke. "Are you...hurt?"

You gave him an odd look. Taking a quick glance towards Laito, you slowly shook your head. He paused a moment, mirroring your action as he too looked. You could have sworn he just moved. While you stiffened, he merely lost interest and focused his attention to you.

"Where...does it hurt?" He took a few steps towards you. You took several steps back. As he began to speak, you finally looked him in the eyes. What you saw nearly broke your heart. This young vampire bore such sadness in those eyes.

"Why...are you...walking away?" He said, searching your eyes for an answer.

"Ah..I see." Apparently he'd found it without your response. "So..you hate me...don't you?" He said, eyes downcast. "But...I don't...hate you."

Taken aback by his words, all you could do was stare back. How were you supposed to respond to a declaration like that; especially in this given situation? The only thing you knew was that for some reason, this one held interest in you. Now what if, you could use this to your advantage? You quickly glanced back at Laito before addressing the one before you. Admittedly you felt a slight tinge of remorse for deciding upon using his apparent fixation upon you as means of escape but what choice do you have? While the prospect of rebelling against your captor's wishes frightened you more, if you played it right, it would all appear to be the rivalry between two vampires at fault. Taking a deep breath, you look back up to him. You manage to give him a small smile.

This was just enough for a faint light to come within his eyes. He returned the gesture, his sad countenance softening. With a light sigh he said. "I'm glad…"

You had to be particularly careful with this one. You can't fall for his little act of innocence. You never know what exactly to expect from this group of men. This much you learned well from the heap on the ground feet away. Even so, as you two stared each other down, you couldn't help but wonder how a vampire; bloodthirsty and cruel, could appear so meek? Admittedly, all you had in comparison was your captor and Laito, they had set your standards low right at the start. Though knowing this, could this one be reasoned with? Wouldn't get your hopes up but it wouldn't hurt to try. He seemed somewhat concerned about your well being. So that's a start.

Encouraged by your previous gesture, he began to slowly advance. You held your ground, timidly looking back to him

"Don't worry…" He said with a soft smile

"I won't...do awful things...to you."

He stopped a few feet away from where you stood. A light gasp was heard as he got a good look at you. You noticed a light blush form upon his cheeks. Holding his arm back up to cover his face, you heard him mutter the word: _Princess_.

Shit. Your heart stopped the moment you'd finally realized who'd been standing nearby this whole time. How long had he been conscious? With a smirk, Laito kicked Azusa to the ground. Not giving him a second to recover, Laito yanks him back up by his hair, digging his nails into his scalp. In this moment, despite your intentions of not getting involved, you felt enraged at such cruelty. You yelled at Laito to leave the poor thing alone, throwing a fist into his gut. He simply caught your arm midway. Amused, he looked from Azusa and back to you.

"What are you fussing about? Didn't you know already Little Bitch?" he sneered. "He's perfectly fine. This runt likes the pain...Don't you?" Laito then proceeded to knee Azusa in the gut, causing him to gasp for air.

"You sick bastard." you growled, your arm shaking in his grasp. Laito only laughed more at your heated retort of hatred.

"Perfect~ hate me with all you got, Little Bitch." He grinned ecstatically, causing your face to contort in disgust. This man is utterly hopeless.

Through disheveled hair, Azusa's gaze still remained on you. His eyes widen as he saw your face contorted in pain as Laito tightened his grip on your arm. Laito was hurting you. Azusa's expression soured. No one is allowed to hurt you...without his permission. He clearly saw the disdain you held for this man. Even a fool could see this. He could see as plain as day Latio truly cared little for you. It was evident what he needed to do. He refused to lose to Laito. His gaze now fiercely intent, Azusa slowly turned his head to face Laito.

"Hey~ no need to be so greedy." With his devilish grin, he yanked Azusa's head back so he could clearly see his face. "Since I'm a such generous man~ I'll let you join us, just this once….well, what do you say? I can choke you while you attempt to drink all you can from the Little Bitch if you want~" He laughed a bit upon his last remark, shaking Azusa's head in his grasp.

Un-phased, Azusa looked back to you. You were still attempting to wriggle free, kicking and cursing furiously. Laito had hardly paid you any mind at this point. You'd done little to wound him if at all. Azusa's gaze drifted back to his abuser, staring him dead in the eyes. "You're...hurting her."

"Hmm~ what of it?" Laito shot back plainly.

Taking another glance towards your distressed form, he replied.

"She...doesn't suit you…"

Laito's eyes narrowed at this. However what little damage this did his ego merely dissolved into explosive laughter.

"What? And you think you can do better?" he spoke between laughing. "You've got a big mouth for a little rat." Laito's tone darkened as he now eyed Azusa with his coy smile.

Azusa merely frowned, brows furrowed as he stared back up at him. The memory of earlier events caused him to clench his fist in frustration. Laito chuckled as Azusa tensed up in his grasp. "Bingo~" he mocked him with that ever persistent grin.

…..

In one sudden movement, in the blink of an eye, Laito found a knife buried in his chest.

Azusa took advantage of his shock and dug the knife across, creating a significant gaping wound. Laito snarled in pain. In that moment, his grip loosening upon your arm. You seized the opportunity and jerked yourself free. For good measure, you kicked him, causing him to reel back; thus buying you more time to flee.

A moment of weakness overcame you. Looking back you saw Azusa stagger away as he too had managed to free himself from Laito's hand. Your eyes widen in shock once you noticed the blade in his back. Laito must have done that in retaliation as you managed to make some distance between you.

Azusa's gaze met yours, eyes glazed over from the pain. You cursed to yourself. Snatching his hand, you dragged him along with you as you fled the scene.

Laito, enraged, scrambled to compose himself. The blood he'd lost from the wound overwhelming him. He wasn't used to seeing so much of his own blood. However, he refused to let a little runt like him defeat him so easily. Gritting his teeth, he began to storm forward in the direction you'd fled.

.

He didn't get far.

.

Laito winced in pain when he felt a powerful grip upon his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're go'n?" A voice snarled behind him.

Laito tensed, he refused to address another of their party. He attempted to wrench himself free, but this only caused him to whirl Laito around roughly.

"Ey, I'm talk'n to you!"

Laito's gaze drifted upward to make up for the immense height difference between them. He could clearly see he was pissed. Fangs bared, he shook Laito, demanding an answer from him.

"I know you did something to Azusa. I can smell it along with your disgusting stench." Yuma sneered, shooting fiery darts with his gaze down upon the wounded vampire before him.

"What if I did~?" Laito shot back in pure defiance. Attempting to save face in this increasingly mortifying situation, he tried to remain bold in light of his still bleeding wound.

Yuma's anger only increased upon seeing the attitude he was getting. He managed a smirk when he finally noticed Laito's injury. "Heh, looks like he did a number on ya." With a loud thud, Laito was rammed into the ground by Yuma's fist. "Serves ya right." He slammed his fist into his hand triumphantly.

He stomped his foot onto Laito's back once he attempted to stand. Digging his heel in he shouted. "This oughtta teach you not to fuck with us!"

"I think he's had enough, Yuma."

Laito heard a stern voice from where he lay. Without looking up, he was all too familiar to whom it belonged to. He rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself. What rotten luck. Laito soon felt the weight of Yuma's boot slowly release him. It took him a bit to finally stand himself up. Wiping the blood from his face, he looked at it in utter disdain.

Ruki glared at Yuma, who held his hands up as he got the cue to back away. Folding his arms, pouting slightly, Yuma resolved to be satisfied with just glaring down at the battered man below him.

"Leave. You're done here." Ruki spoke, his gaze cold.

Yuma shot Ruki a look of confusion to which he made no move to address. He merely was fixated upon Laito's response. That would determine his next move. Ruki was prepared for a full-on battle. Yes, he had his group agree upon not doing this very thing. However this was different. This was for their brother.

Laito quickly picked up on the gravity of the situation.

Managing a slight grin, he spoke up.

"Now now, I know when I'm outnumbered. No need to be so uptight."

He agreed to leave it at that. Ruki nodded, not taking his eyes off of him until Laito was long out of sight. Yuma waited for a bit, mouth agape in disbelief. He finally piped up to ask Ruki for permission to hunt him down and to properly beat the shit out of him of course. Ruki denied him with no hesitation. Before Yuma had much time to grumble about it, something hit him. Eyes wide, he looked about him. He marched over to where Ruki stood, even going so far as to peer behind him.

"Ha-? Where the hell is…?"

"Azusa has something important to attend to." Ruki stated plainly.

"We mustn't pursue him for now."

"What the hell could be so important that he'd fuck'n ditch us after we just saved his ass?"

"Patience Yuma. We'll see soon enough." Ruki said, strolling past his dumbfounded companion.

Unsatisfied with his response, he scratched the back of his head and looked away. He noticed the slight pause in Ruki as he'd taken a brief moment to fix his gaze upon the lake in the distance. More confused than ever, he shook his head, finding nothing of particular importance.

...

With that, the two returned to the others. Both were received with joy upon their return. Yui seemed especially happy, most likely more than willing to have a break. However, Kou gave them a puzzled look upon seeing they'd returned empty handed. Ruki was assaulted by a hail of questions from the others; even from Yuma who thought it right to chime in. No matter how persistently they asked, Ruki refused to budge.

In an effort to distract them from their disappointment with Ruki's cryptic replies, he treated them to an extravagant dinner. Of course he knew this couldn't erase their concerns, but at least it would appease them even if for a bit. On the surface, it appeared successful. Kou and Yuma were bickering in no time, despite the fact there was more than enough for everyone.

The empty seat beside Yuma soon became impossible to ignore for all of them. While Azusa had always been the quiet one at the table, his presence had been counted; so much so that it hardly felt complete without him there.

They all had to wonder what Ruki was thinking. Why did he find it acceptable to return without their brother? Even more concerning was the burning question of what would even cause Azusa to stray from them in the first place...

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


	9. Update on Hiatus

Thanks for the wait everyone~ (´∀｀*)

Due to school and other personal reasons, Sadisgate has been on hiatus for the past month.

However, to treat you all for your patience, I'll be posting a chapter for the next 3 days.

Please look forward to it~


	10. Like a Fairy Tale

**_LIKE A FAIRY TALE_**

* * *

 _「You ran and ran as fast as your legs could carry you.」_

The resounding sound of pitter-patter upon the pavement echoed throughout the landscape. You weren't entirely sure where you were headed. All you knew was that wherever you go, it mustn't be anything remotely akin to civilization; lest you should have to see one more goddamn vampire. You were more than fed up with all of their barbaric nonsense. Thankfully the night was almost over, you could feel it in your gut. If you could just make it back…

Despite yourself, you began to miss the soft, luxurious bed of your captor's lair. You missed that slight sense of security you derived from being able to sleep in peace, undisturbed by any other monster than the one you lived with. Even so, you snarled in frustration, now gripping the boy's hand tighter as you continued on. To think you'd actually long for anything that bastard had to offer. It made your blood boil.

Azusa winced, but said nothing. He merely trailed after you. In his eyes, there was little to complain about. He couldn't be happier. Being dragged along by his princess like this, it all seemed like a dream come true. Obediently he followed you past the lake's perimeter, out through the gates of the park's massive botanical garden. At this point, he was more than willing to follow you anywhere. He protected you, and in turn you protected him. Already Azusa had become hopelessly attached to you. A faint smile grew upon his face as his mind drifted off to thoughts of your future together: all the things you'd do for each other.

The two of you finally stopped to rest, halting within the thick cover of shrubbery. You dropped his hand as you had to hold your chest in an effort to catch your breath. Never had you ran so fast in your life. Never had a situation spurred you on to do so. Not even during your survival had you ever felt the need to get as far away from something, or really someone so desperately.

Azusa watched for a moment before finally taking a good look at his surroundings. Despite being able to see much of the garden from where you hid, one could view the beautiful fountain from between the foliage. As his eyes drifted to the fauna which provided you with protection, he lit up. Hardly noticing his action, you'd just managed to recover from such a panicked escape. You dug your hand into your hair, trying to come to terms with the current events. To think you actually brought one of them with you. He couldn't stay here. So what are you supposed to do with him?

An Azalea came into your view. Startle by its sudden appearance, you blinked a moment before turning your gaze to it's origin. Azusa withdrew slightly.

"Sorry...if I...scared you."

You shook your head to reassure him. You gave him a smile as you gently took it from his hand. "Thank you…" You spoke absentmindedly as you stared at it, a bit surprised by his sudden action.

"Can I...put it in your hair?" Azusa said, looking away slightly once you registered what he just said. You knew you had to remain within this one's favour. Angering him would do you no good, so you decided to play along for now. Since he was already wounded you felt a bit more confident to be able to debilitate him further if he tried anything. You merely nod and he silently crept over.

You couldn't help but stare as he did exactly what he said. Azusa simply took the flower from your open palm and carefully situated it into your hair. You blushed from embarrassment when it dawned upon you the disheveled state your hair was from the whole ordeal. Despite this, Azusa made no indication of acknowledging it. It was in this moment, when he withdrew from you all without incident, that you knew this one wasn't playing innocent. Could he really be this naive…?

He looked upon his work with that same sense of wonder when he first saw you. It mattered little to him how tattered your attire and self was. To him, you were absolutely beautiful as you were. Azusa opened his mouth to speak but the loud chime of the town bell drowned out everything else. Your eyes widened having been brought back to the realization of the nearing end. Clearly this vampire was fond of you. You had to admit, it was precious how child-like he'd went about expressing his affections. However, the sad reality was that you'd been claimed by another. Not only this but also he could get seriously injured if he tried to win you again; especially with him present. He bore the wounds to prove this fact. What it all came down to was that you needed to leave: soon. You needed to leave before his heart could take him any further.

"Look, thanks for saving me." You said as you scanned his face for a response.  
"But I need to go...don't follow me."

Azusa hummed a bit, holding his hand to his face. You could clearly tell that he was attempting to hide his displeasure.

"Why…?" He finally spoke up. His eyes too looking to you for a reply.

With a sigh you said, "I hate to say his but...I can't be here, or really anywhere with you. You understand don't you?"

Azusa tilted his head. You'd already shown him that you don't hate him, so why were you being so cold? Maybe you're testing him. Yes, that's it. That has to be it. You had to be testing how far he'd really go to make you his. That was the only logical conclusion. He needs to sweep you off your feet in order to win you over completely. All in all, he felt pleased by this perceived turn of events. It really is turning out to be like a fairy tale. He bore a wide grin upon realizing this and laughed softly to himself. With raised brow you looked at his odd response. Shaking your head you grumble to yourself. He's just as hopeless as Latio isn't he?

The chime of the next bell rang, thus increasing your sense of urgency. You needed to make an exit, and fast. In all honesty, you preferred not to use force, but you were prepared to do so if absolutely necessary. Upon noticing Azusa's eyes scan the sky upon the sound, you recalled this young one's unfamiliarity with this world. At least this fact set you with yet another advantage.

"Just follow the garden's path and you'll eventually find your way out." You said as you began to take several steps away. Azusa soon turned back to you. Just like that, you marched past him, not looking back. You let out a gasp in surprise when you felt a slight tug. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around your waist. You tensed. Was he really going to make you have to hurt him? With that small glimmer of faith you had in this naive young vampire, you decided to wait just a bit longer; just to see what he'd do.

He drew you closer, so much so that you could feel your back pressed upon his chest. Your heart skipped a beat as you felt his head rest on your shoulder, slowly progressing up towards your exposed neck. You made a move to reach for the blade you'd kept hidden within your dress. You refused to be fed upon again; not like this. Fledgling or not, your resolve grew firm. You held your blade ready, waiting for the chance to strike.

Azusa nuzzled his face into your neck. His grip around your waist gradually tightened as he completely lost himself in your scent. His breath upon you caused a slight chill to run down your spine. You frowned, how could you have let him get so close? Could you really be making the same mistakes already in the same night? Hands shaky, you gripped the blade tight. Slowly you raised it just enough to get a good jab at him. The moment you feel fangs touch your throat, that was the moment he'd lose all sympathy.

"Please…" Azusa murmured, gripping you even tighter.

"Don't...go."

He spoke with such sadness. It made your heart wrench within your chest. He really is a lonely thing isn't he; just like you. More and more you began to feel the pity you have for him well up within you. It began to cloud your judgment. You needed to leave immediately, for both his and your sake.

You took a deep breath. Somehow you managed to pry his hands off of you. Upon feeling your hands touch his, Azusa naturally loosened his grip; being caught off guard. Taking this opportunity, you easily slipped away. Azusa stood there a moment, dazed. The warmth of your body still lingered upon him as he stared at the empty space where you'd stood just moments before. Presently he looked up to where you now stood, rigid as ever.

You bit your lip as you prepared for what you had to say.

"Didn't you hear me?" You said, giving him a cold glare. "I said don't follow me. If you try that again, I won't be so merciful next time." You held up the makeshift knife you'd held into plain view.

Azusa completely understood. In fact, he looked a bit disappointed. Such a reaction seemed appropriate to you. Heaving a sigh you turned away. You had this horrible feeling in your gut that would not leave you. You knew Azusa managed to say something in reply but you didn't want to hear it. You took off, running as fast as you could away from that place; from that pitiful creature. You couldn't take it. You had enough. All you wanted to do is return to the only place you could call 'home' and just die; never having to care again about the escalating troubles of romancing a damned vampire.

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


	11. Broken

_**BROKEN**  
_

* * *

 _How could you have been so presumptuous?_

Really, how could you assume you would ever been allowed even a moment's rest from the anxiety of constant struggle for not only your life, but your sanity. This night had been too much for you. You were more than fed up with it all. You preferred the simple life of fending off those bloodthirsty monsters to all this. At least things were matters of black and white then. Now you weren't entirely sure what you were supposed to do with these 'Guests of Honour', let alone with yourself. You scoffed at such a title. What is so honourable about them? All you could see was your utter disdain for the lot of them.

If this wretched world wouldn't allow you the reprieve of _some_ sort, then you resolved to get it yourself. At this point, it seemed that only the forest provided you with anything remotely like peace. Rarely had anyone ventured out this far, especially with the current festivities about. The only beings who did such was _them_. Even so you had some awareness of their presence, but even with that knowledge it would be hard to rest.

 _Not like there is any time to rest_

 _..._

"How unsettling…" A painfully familiar voice spoke before you.

He'd finally returned for you. Your captor looked down upon you with a frown. You were far too exhausted to deal with his cruel remarks. You were fully aware of how you looked at the moment. Now it mattered little to you. You knew of all the leaves in your hair and tears in your dress. Save for the lone Azalea, you were a total wreck. You didn't need this man to remind you of such things. So without a word you held out your hand. He soon whisked you away to your one small haven: your prison.

He seemed more displeased than usual. No attention was paid to your wounds, all was focused upon the state of your attire. Clearly this must have held some importance to him. In your mind, you surmised that if he was to allow you to wear something special, he should expect it to be tattered. This world is wretched and dangerous for your kind. How could he show such disappointment in knowing this? Did he really expect you to not run into trouble with his preposterous plan? A long time passed before your captor looked you over one last time before speaking. He scolded you. He scolded you for ruining such an important family heirloom. You hardly gave a damn. You didn't ask for it in the first place. He quickly caught onto your apathetic attitude, only adding to his displeasure.

His gaze narrowed. "And where is _he_?"

Flashbacks from earlier flooded in. You looked away from him. Through gritted teeth you admitted you did not know. Your whole body tensed; fully prepared for punishment. The room's atmosphere was suffocating. Unmoving, both of you remained as you were. You paused a moment. 'When is he..?'

You slowly opened your eyes. He'd turned his gaze from you entirely; deep in thought. You heard your captor heave a heavy sigh once he'd noticed you finally relaxed. The look he gave you, you knew exactly what it meant. For a moment you laughed. You laughed to yourself. You laughed for being so stupid as to even find but a little of solace in such a place….

* * *

[㇨9]

It would be a miracle if you got any sleep that night.

How could you?

The wounds littered about your body prevented you from doing so. Every time you'd attempt to get even remotely comfortable, the paid would be intolerable. To think your captor could be so vindictive that he'd strategically wound you to make it impossible to sleep. You couldn't lie down: not on your side, back or even stomach. He'd thought of it all. All you could do was sit upright: staring off at the bed sheets before you in a daze.

You remained there for what seemed like days before you'd managed to nod off where you were. It hardly lasted when you heard sounds in the hallway. Fearing he'd return you remained awake, only to find out it was nothing at all. Soon you'd merely bring your head up to stare off blankly to the wall. The only light in the room was the dim candlelight scattered about. It's glow cast a gloomy shadow upon the room.

One word to describe your current state.

 _Broken_

Never would you say it out loud, but you were broken.

This all had taken it's toll. You never wanted this. You never asked for any of this, yet all the burden was thrust upon you. Then once you'd failed, you were beaten and bruised. Who could blame you for not caring? How could you care for something or someone you never desired to encounter in the first place? So much had happened within the past few days, exponentially more than your entire stay within the Carnival. The threat of being eaten alive by bloodthirsty savages now subsided to the immense pressure of battling your ego versus pleasing the very savages you'd fought. Having to force yourself into submission was eating away at you. You felt you were betraying yourself; your identity as a person.

You weren't sure how much more you could take. Your captor clearly expected you to return to Latio. The painful wounds were evidence of such a fact. As soon as that man's name even came into your mind you felt the strong sting of regret. It's not your fault. He was the one who had spotted you. How could you have known he was there? Despite this, you felt so _angry_.

You began to hate yourself for even existing.

...

All the stress crushing you under it's weight, you lost yourself in self-hatred.

...

You felt utterly helpless. You hated it.

Amidst all your abysmal thoughts, you found yourself giving into pure exhaustion. You nodded off, not being able to support yourself any longer. Your mind was able to find a moment's rest in the sweet escape of sleep.

* * *

 _[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you everyone for your kind words and reviews~ It's what inspires me to continue on with this story. Things are starting to get rolling between the protagonist and Azu-darling so get excited for the next chapter. I promise it'll be a real treat...for some._ _┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴_ _]_

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	12. Beautiful Creature

_**BEAUTIFUL CREATURE**_

* * *

 **Princess**...The word suddenly emerged amidst your dull thoughts.

But why?

You found yourself awake yet again. Your world had been devoid of dreams, all you can remember was the darkness. Now you awake to find yourself within the same room as before: hopeless. Rubbing your eyes you blinked a moment. The awareness of the present brought your spirits down to it's original low. Your thoughts began to flow freely again. You called the word yet again. You paused a moment. Where did that come from? Isn't that…

Wasn't that what that young vampire said?

You were certain you'd put your mind to rest concerning him. Even so, here it was. You caught yourself feeling guilty. Yes, he's a vampire. Yes, he's one of them; the lot of them you hated with a passion. When you really thought about it, what had he done to deserve your hate? He has proven to be the exact opposite of all the other monsters you'd experienced. The worst he'd done to you was put a flower in your hair; which was considerably less than what any vampire had put you through. You felt conflicted. No matter how much sympathy you held onto for him, it would amount to nothing. You belong to someone else. All you really could do you did earlier, by pushing him away. At least this way, that naive little creature would not get himself hurt when he doesn't have to.

"Princess..?"

A voice, you heard a voice. It was a small, distant voice. Had you become so obsessed that you were hearing things now? Could this mean something? No. It means you need to stop. Persisting in such thoughts would only end in heartbreak…

"Princess…?"

You heard it again. What was wrong with you? Had you really lost yourself? Had you really gotten so lost in pity for this creature that even after presented with reason, it persists? No. This absolutely needs to stop. Despite yourself, your mind drifted to his wounds. He most likely was in a lot of pain. What had you done to help him? You vividly recalled leaving him there, alone in the garden. Your heart begins to ache when you recalled the sadness in his voice once he begged you not to go. You sighed. Maybe _you_ were the heartless one.

"Are you...sleep?"

What? What kind of question is that to ask yourself? Of course you are, or at least you thought you were. At this point you weren't sure anymore. Otherwise it'd be impossible to have a dialogue with someone who isn't there. You froze upon the sudden realization.

You held your breath. Why was he here? No, the real question is how? As far as you knew, this was his first time at Vandead Carnival. How on earth did he make it up this far? Was your captor so careless as to leave his little lab rat unattended at night? Even so, had he not noticed his presence within the castle? Terrified you didn't dare move an inch. A long silence overtook the room. Soon you began to question your sanity yet again. Were you really hearing things? Of all things...him?

"I'm coming in...okay?"

The sound of the door creaking open resounded throughout the room. This is real. He's here. You couldn't help but marvel at this fledgling's persistence. Wasn't he just brutalized and humiliated for just this? Hadn't he learned his lesson when you left him back in the garden? Even so, he here was, the foolish little one still making his effort to pursue what he can't have. You had to wonder whether your captor had even informed the lot of them of his plan in the first place. If he died because of this, it would only make things even more tragic. Presently you heard the door close behind him.

The anticipation became almost too much to bear as you heard the light tap of his approach. What now? What could he possibly do to change the facts? What would it take to convince him of the truth? Even with all of this, the one advantage he had was your pity. You simply couldn't get rid of it. You're human. That's why.

Not one of your thoughts provided a solution for your present predicament. He was here; alone with you. There wasn't much you could do. All you could do was wait. You had already learned that escape from a vampire is futile.

Azusa stopped at the edge of your bed. A sense of relief washed over him as he strode into the room. The glow of the candlelight scattered all across the walls of the place, providing him with limited but ample light. He'd finally found you yet again. The wounds from before, he could still feel their sting. This meant little to him in this very moment. Once he spotted your still form upon the bed, this became his prime focus. Everything had become more than worth the trouble. A small smile spread across his face as he looked to you.

You merely glanced at him, showing little interest. If he was going to do something, he might as well get it over with. It'd take a lot for you to retaliate at this point. You sighed and remained as you were.

As Azusa scanned your countenance, his smile slowly sank. The fiery radiance you'd displayed had all but disappeared. All that was left was a hollow shell. Something wasn't right. You seemed so lifeless compared to before.

"Are you...alright?" Azusa finally spoke, eyes fixated upon you.

"You're not...yourself."

You merely shook your head. Azusa blinked a moment. He stood there a while without saying a word. You finally looked over to him. You then realized he'd been patiently waiting for your response. In all honesty, you didn't feel like talking. To make things more simplistic you merely held out your arm; revealing several deep cuts and bruises littered along the length of it. You heard Azusa let out a small gasp as he observed them from where he was. His gaze drifted back to you, his eyes showing a strange sort of wonder.

"Hey...show me... your wounds." Azusa said, leaning further onto the bed.

"It's alright...isn't it?"

Despite the question, he'd already progressed towards you. He crawled his way over to where you were, stopping short of half an arm's length between you. Without a word you watched him take your hand, turning your arm with care. He looked at each wound carefully. Just to humor yourself, you held out your other arm. Immediately his attention was drawn away. He gently sat down one to inspect the other. He repeated his action. Now gently he ran his hand down it, causing you to wince. Azusa looked to you.

"It...looks so painful." He murmured.

"Yeah, it hurts like hell." You laughed bitterly

Azusa paused a moment before looking back down.

"Is this...all?" He looked back to you with an odd look in his eye.

You shook your head.

"Where? Show me…" Azusa said, already looking himself.

You looked away from him, feeling a bit embarrassed from all this attention. What felt odd was how attentive he was being. You didn't want to assume that he actually cared, but it did seem to be so. The way he looked at you, even with you battered and bruised was so different than how your captor would. He showed such intense interest.

"There's more on my sides and back." You said plainly, gaze still cast away. Despite complying, you made no movement to follow through with his request.

Azusa leaned in a little closer, ever so eager.

"Please let me see...I want to see."

You shook your head.

Azusa titled his head quizzically, still fixated upon your countenance.

"Why...it's alright...you can show me...right?" He pressed on.

"I...I just don't want to alright?" A light blush formed upon your face without you realizing it.

Azusa watched you a moment before speaking again.

"Are you...embarrassed? Why…?" He said, still fixated upon you.

Upon your silence in reply, he paused a moment to think of a 'solution'.

"Maybe...I can undress too...then we'll be...the same."

You shot your head over to meet his gaze. He couldn't be serious...could he? With just one look, you knew he meant it. You shook your head yet again. You knew he'd only persist. With a sigh, you resolved to just get it over with. You carefully raised your gown up so he could see. He peered behind you so he could get a better look at it. You sat there, completely mortified with your current position. Your breathing grew a bit faster as you tried to maintain composure.

You jumped when you felt his finger trace one of the cuts along your back. You glared back at him with fierce displeasure. He stopped where he was.

"Ah...sorry." Azusa said absentmindedly. "Did that...hurt?"

"Yes of course it did." You shot back.

Azusa smiled softly to himself. "How...did it hurt?"

"It stung. Don't do it again." You huffed, easing your gown back down. You did so ever so carefully lest you cause yourself more pain than you really needed. Azusa returned to your side. You jumped again when you noticed Azusa halted your motion by placing his hand onto your leg.

"What?"

Azusa look from you and then back down to where his hand lay.

"You...didn't mention these."

You followed his gaze. In response you just shrugged, saying you'd forgotten about them. Azusa frowned a moment before leaning over to inspect them as well. You jerked back. He merely waited a bit before continuing what he was doing. Carefully you watched him to make sure he didn't get uncomfortably close; or at least more so than he already was.

Shortly, he sat back up. You promptly put your gown completely down. With a sigh, he then began to smile deliriously. He took your hand once again, repeating his actions a second time. At this point you had a growing feeling of discomfort arise within your chest.

Something seemed off.

He seemed a bit too interested in your wounds...You knew that much. This wasn't anything akin to genuine concern. No, this attention you'd been receiving was something else entirely. You just couldn't tell what. Even so, what you truly were unaware of was that by the end of the night, your view of him would change entirely. The two of you, and your world would change tonight. You continue on in your endless question of whether this is salvation or damnation.

* * *

 _[AUTHORS NOTE: I have Avelcain to thank for helping me with the atmosphere of Azu-darling. The general ambiance of the band seems to fit him perfectly. I declare PSYCHO his yan-yan theme song. ]_

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	13. Pressure

**_PRESSURE_**

* * *

 _The night continued on._

 _Alone, with this peculiar creature, you begin to feel uneasy._

 _He seemed so sweet, so innocent before, but you're beginning to doubt…_

You weren't sure how to respond. Really in such a situation what could you do? You didn't have it in you to flee. Even so where to would you go? Would you go to your captor's room? Of course not. It was a wonder he hadn't arrived by now. Surely you were a mere toy to him, but even so, isn't this defying his 'master plan?' Such thoughts ran through your mind as you eyed the young vampire before you. He'd been focusing on the same spot for a while now, making the silence grow unbearable. Your thoughts provided you at least some escape from such.

Azusa hummed for a bit as carefully looked over that particular cut. You sighed and remained as you were. What on earth could be so intriguing about your wounds? Even so, what made this one so special? You shook your head and looked away a moment. You soon grew tired watching him to something so baffling.

Using his finger, he traced the long scar you had upon your arm. He'd been muttering things to himself as took it all in. Beautiful, all of it was so perfect to him. This one had a story to tell. It wasn't like the others. This one had been there for a long time. He could tell. Curiosity overtook him and this is what threw him into a daze. His mind drifted through all the possible ways this might have appeared. All seemed like a wonderful cause to him. Smiling to himself, he decided upon making this one his favourite. Out of nowhere he began to laugh to himself. You shot him a dirty look.

" _What_?" you said, eyes narrowed.

Azusa looked up a moment. Still smiling he murmured, "I was...just thinking…."

His head soon lowered to continue studying the wound. "How lucky...you are."

You stared at him in disbelief. What the hell was he talking about? You could see absolutely nothing that you could remotely refer to as 'fortunate.' None of what you'd been put through you would ever call such. Soon you felt a fire stir within you. You clenched your fist. You began to shake. This time it wasn't due to fear.

You had enough of this.

You attempted to jerk your arm free but he'd merely gripped your arm tighter. Gritting your teeth, you shot him a fierce look. Azusa's eyes widened once he'd finally got a good look at your countenance. However, his hold on you remained firm.

"Ah...sorry..." Azusa said, looking away a moment.

Completely changing the subject, he soon spoke up again.

"This...needs to be...disinfected right?"

Still flustered you merely nodded in reply. Azusa small smile grew as he now looked up to you. He gently began to stroke your arm with his thumb. You glanced at your arm a moment, before returning his gaze. The sudden change took you aback. He appeared to show a more caring sort of interest now. You allowed yourself to relax a bit. Looks like he'd finally snapped out of his strange delusion…

"Okay...let's disinfect it…"

He brought your arm to his lips. Puzzled, you stared back down at him. What is he doing? Does he even know to do this? To think he'd be so naive to not know what disinfectant is-

You shuddered as you felt his tongue trace your wounds their full length up your arm. You were frozen in place. You just were too stunned to respond. Looking down at him, you had a sudden thought. Such logic reminded you of a stray, licking its wounds in a feeble attempt to heal it. Once more he repeated this action, slowly this time. Azusa murmured something into your skin but it was unintelligible to you. All you could do was stare down at him.

The light pinch of his fangs was felt upon your skin. In a flash you retaliated, fueled by pure adrenaline. You slammed him in the head with your fist, successfully causing him to release you. He let out a small gasp in surprise. For a while he sat there, holding his head. You regretted nothing. In fact, you applauded yourself for holding onto your resolve to fight back. You held your fist at ready in case he'd try anything else. He did it. He actually did it. He proved himself to just like the rest of them.

Azusa whimpered a bit before a wide grin grew upon his face.

"Ah...good…" He whined; breathing growing ragged. He looked up to you, eyes glazed over completely.

Absurdity upon absurdity. You really had no clue how to respond to such a reaction. You'd never seen anything like this before. How are you supposed to react to this? You found yourself holding your gaze upon him, eyes wide in disbelief.

Azusa took your reaction as denial. Soon he grew desperate. The pain began to cloud his mind. In this moment, all he knew was that he wanted more. He wanted his princess to hurt him more.

"Hey...do it again...please." Azusa began to crawl back to you. You backed away in response, soon hitting the back of the bed.

"Come on...it's alright..isn't it?"

He continued to plead as he closed the distance between you two.

He took a hold of your arm again in hopes to repeat your action. Instantly you snapped out of your daze. You tried to rip your arm from his grasp but he soon to cling yet again. His grip now soon grew painful. With little hesitation, you whacked him in the head just as before. This time the blow only caused him to wince.

"Come on...harder...you can do it harder...can't you?"

Azusa said, breath still heavy. He gripped your arm even tighter.

Out of pure frustration, you took another swing at him, this time attempting to push him off by force; applying an immense amount of pressure on his head. He remained firm, causing your arm to shake. Azusa whimpered, gritting his teeth from the throbbing pain in his head.

Soon he grew dissatisfied. Azusa continued to provoke you, leaning forward to apply even more pressure onto your arm. You yelled out in pain. You had no idea what had gotten into him. Whatever it was you hardly cared at this point. You just wanted him to _**stop**_.

You did your best to push him back, but he'd soon overpowered you. The sudden realization frightened you; he hadn't been exerting his true strength until now. To think that he'd been going easy on you this whole time. Soon enough, he'd managed to pin you down, causing you further excruciating pain. Frantically you attempted to struggle free but he'd held you to the bed by your arms. He remained unrelenting with his powerful grip.

As he watched you struggle, the pain evident upon your face, he smiled down at you. It's intent was not to mock, but was of genuine affection. This frightened you. So much so that you momentarily ceased your struggle. You took a moment to look up at the one who now became your aggressor. It all sank in. This boy truly may be far more twisted than even your captor and Laito combined.

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	14. Caged Beauty

_**CAGED BEAUTY**_

* * *

 _Why am I alive?_

Such words resonated through your head.

「 _**Why**? What's the point of all of this? The endless struggle with no light at it's end. Even hope forsaking you when all is said and done. No matter how much you fight back, something will always but ready to shove you back down. You felt so weak; so helpless. Even by your greatest of efforts to remain strong, it all amounts to nothing._ 」

'Still there...that _thing_ is still there.'

Azusa hovered above you. At first he was ecstatic with the precious time he was able to spend with you thus far. He already could tell that the two of you were perfect for one another. Both of you would be able to enjoy the pleasures of such sweet pain. Yet, as he looked down upon you, his princess, you exhibited a different variety of pain. That look in your eyes, it confused him. This sort of pain, it was a kind even he could not find pleasure in. His smile soon began to face as he took it all in. His eyes widened once he'd saw a single tear descend upon your cheek. Such foretold the arrival of several more tears. Each glided gracefully down your face, all together telling the unspoken tale of your anguish. This isn't right. This didn't feel right…

His grip loosened drastically. Slowly he leaned a bit away, his eyes never leaving you. After feeling him withdraw you opened your eyes. Only your gaze drifted over to meet his own. Whatever had come over him seemed to all but have faded away. His peculiar silver eyes shown that same sadness from before. Fists clenched, your whole body tensed as you awaited his next move. You weren't going to fall for his act so easily this time.

Nothing happened.

The silence began to slowly pain Azusa. Such pain, was within his heart. Without realizing, he placed his hand upon his chest. This thing had died long ago, so how could it hurt like this? His eyes seemed panicked. He didn't understand this feeling. It frightened him. Yes it hurts, but why? Why isn't this pain bring him any pleasure?

You watched his present action without a word. Despite the crushing feeling of the world crashing upon you, you felt the fire of determination rise again. Indeed you still held to some pity for him, but even so he hurt you. He proved to be an aggressor, so you need to fight back. If you were to die, you held to your resolve to go down claws bared. Fueled by pure desperation, you managed to pull yourself back up. You shoved Azusa off you, causing him to land with a thud. Now you're on top.

The last thing Azusa saw was the scarlet linen sheets. You'd grown so fed up with looking into his sad eyes that you pushed his face into the bed. He felt your weight pinning down his arms and legs, rendering him immobile. In a complete shift, Azusa smiled madly. How could he doubt you? He attempted to turn his head to look to you but you merely held him down even harder than before. You were holding him down with all the strength you could muster as he continued to try to move about. Cursing to yourself, you just wanted him to just quit. You couldn't keep this up much longer. Adding to your frustration, you could hear his crazed murmurs rise yet again.

...

 _"Why are you still here?"_

That stern voice resounded directly near your bedside. You shot your head over to face him. Your captor stood there, arms folded. He eyed the both of you as you were. You couldn't help but shrink back within his gaze. It was hard to tell what he was thinking...

Azusa, despite you putting forth all your strength into holding him down, simply turned his head to get a look at whom was addressing them. He blinked a moment before looking away. You noticed him relax once he'd realized who it was. "Oh...Karlheinz…"

Karlheinz? You finally learned that bastard's name. After all this time, you finally had a name! But you had to wonder how this fledgling could know him so well to address him so plainly. Your thoughts came to a halt once you'd noticed Karlheinz's raised brow. He'd noticed you staring him down.

"Why do you look so puzzled child?" He spoke in a completely different tone than what you were accustomed to. Somehow it was far more condescending. "Do you not understand where your home is now?"

You looked away. He was going to force you to return to him wasn't he? At this point, you began to lose all care for your own life. You resolved to die as it's what you'd prefer to being thrown back into such trauma. Through clenched teeth you spoke, shaky in light of your present condition. _"I refuse."_

Karlheinz merely persisted with his quizzical gaze. He glanced towards Azusa whose eyes remained downcast. Looking at the two of you he narrowed his eyes before speaking again. "You seem to fare well with him. I see no reason for your cold denial."

"Well?" You shot back, fully prepared to throw your life away in that very moment.

"I was sure that bastard was going to rape me right then and there on that damned boat. You call that well?" Your arms began to shake with anger as you spat out your final words. It shook you, the whole ordeal remained fresh in your mind as you recalled the terror. For him to even suppose that anything about your time with him went well was revolting. You knew him to be a heartless tyrant, but enough was enough.

"He has done no such thing." Karlheinz spoke plainly.

He shot another look down towards the body below you before continuing.

"I believe you're referring to the wrong person."

You paused, staring him down for a good while. With a light sigh he merely waited for your sudden epiphany. Slowly your eyes followed his down to the one you held down. You shot him a quick look and he merely nodded. "Wait, is it... _him_?"

Karlheinz responded with a reassuring nod. "He saw you first, therefore you are his."

You held your mouth agape in shock. Him? It's really him? This twisted little fledgling was the one you were truly claimed by? You had beaten him several times in one night and your captor had hardly bat an eye. Those two must know each other pretty well you supposed for something like this to be permitted by him.

Without missing a beat Karlheinz spoke again. "Come now, you two best be off."

He extended his hand to you. In a daze you took hold, releasing Azusa from your grip. Slowly he was able to sit himself back up to face Karlheinz. He now remained a bit timid, far more tame than he was just moments before. A shy smile came upon his face as he stole a quick look in your present conversation caused a glimmer of hope to shine within those sad eyes. "Is she...really...mine?"

His only reply was yet another nod. Azusa shrunk away slightly as he attempted to hide his growing smile behind his sleeve. Looking to you still, his gaze warm and kind you heard him say softly;

"She's perfect…."

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that._**


	15. Update on Hiatus II

_Hey everyone~ |´∀｀●)_  
 _I know it's been 80 years since I've last updated this and I thought it best to at least say something about it. You all have been so wonderful and patient with me and I want to thank you all for that._

 _Lately, I've been working through some personal issues and such has been prolonging my art block. As I've been gradually getting there, I notice my creativity slowly flowing back. Otakon is coming up and such an enriching experience surely should cause me to bounce back. Hang in there my friends~ I am determined to finish this story!_

 _In other news..._  
 _I've been drafting concepts for another story combining Jrock and Gothic Medieval Fantasy. So if you're into any of those two things then stay tuned_.


	16. Home

**_HOME_**

* * *

 _It's the sudden realization._

 _[ That it's you, and you alone you can rely._

 _People lie. People deceive. People fall short. People disappoint._

 _People hurt. People kill. People die._

 _But you know you._

 _That's something that can't be taken. That can only be corrupted by your own will. No matter who you are and who you become, you will always be you. It's the most precious thing you can hold onto; the only thing fully in your control._ ]

Yet again, you're carried off to a strange place against your will. Tossed about like a prized cattle to the highest bidder. First to your captor, Karlheinz and now you're to be shipped off with this man. You weren't certain you were supposed to feel a sense of gratitude or apprehension. Successful were your efforts to escape that pervert's grasp, yet here he was to be traded in for the neurotic. Is this better or worse?

This night has proved it to be the latter. With the pain fresh in your mind, you timidly glance towards the one beside you. His gaze was focused ahead. They no longer shown that strange light. They remained dormant; dead almost. However, whenever he'd glance towards you, a hint of it returned. Each time you'd look away, determined to not encourage him. To be honest, you weren't sure what he saw in you. At this point you had no idea what you saw in him.

In the present moment, you wanted him as far away from you as possible. Yet here you were, holding his hand as you both stood before Karlheinz. His grip was firm, nearly enough to cause you pain. Restless, conflicting thoughts swirled about in your head. Even so, you remained silent as your captor towered above; eyeing you both before speaking.

"Now that all has been settled…"

As Karlheinz spoke, a slight grin crept upon his face.

"Young one, it's time you escort the maiden to her new home."

Despite him being his usual self, it seemed forced. Karlheinz occasionally would narrow his eyes when he looked to Azusa, contrasting the grin he wore. You frowned at this. It's as if he disapproves of this union. If that was so, then why on earth allow it? You were certain he is more than capable of withdrawing his decision, and with that face you expected him to do so any minute. You couldn't help but steal a quick glance to Azusa. Even still he remained composed. Patiently he awaited this man's next word.

Karlheinz raised his brow once he noticed Azusa hadn't taken a step towards the door. "My~ you must be unaware of where your companions are residing."

He said, resting his hand under his chin. Azusa merely looked away and nodded.

"I see." He said plainly. "Due to your persistence in pursuing the maiden you've completely missed your own kin's lodging."

After a slight pause, he laid his hands upon the both of your shoulders. Before you could fully grasp the situation, you were in a different place entirely. It was dark. If it wasn't for the ever spectacular moonlight above, few things would be visible. There was a heavy mist upon the ground, creating a peculiar sense of dread to overcome you. From what could be seen, there was a cobblestone path leading to a tall, towering structure. It's architecture drawing the eyes upward to the meet the night sky; which was littered with stars.

Karlheinz took a step back and bowed slightly. "Welcome home."

With that he was gone, leaving you in the dark with….

Azusa blinked a moment before growing accustomed to that man's absence. He looked all about him, taking in his surroundings. Unsure of what to expect, you remained still. Now this was truly the one you were forbidden to betray. Taking it all in, you were too frightened to move. You greatly preferred his current tranquil state. He appeared so peaceful, innocent even. However it was ruined due to witnessing that side of him. It all was so confusing to you. As of now you decided it best to play it safe.

With a slow, deliberate pace, Azusa took several steps forward. You followed obediently. As the two of you approached the building before you, upon walking through, several lights came to life along the path. Gradually it began to illuminate your way. Now from what you could see, this truly was a beautiful home meant for nobility.

Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when a figure appeared in your path. Upon noticing your grip tighten, Azusa followed your gaze. Immediately he acknowledged who it was.

With one hand upon his hip, the man looked both of you over. A certain look of displeasure was plastered upon his face. He soon lost interest in you and turned his full attention elsewhere.

"Azusa. We need to talk."

Azusa hummed a bit in response, holding his hand close to his face. He shot a quick glance towards you before avoiding eye contact with you both. Slowly he shook his head, giving your hand a little tug in hopes you'd follow. Remaining firm, you ignore him. Your full attention was still towards this strange man. He merely held his cold, fierce gaze upon Azusa as he spoke.

"That _wasn't_ a request."

His tone darkened. His gaze somehow grew more intense as he stared Azusa down.

It didn't take long before he came to the conclusion that Azusa would not budge. His gaze shot over to you, causing you to flinch. Without turning to address you, he spoke. "You."

Just by the way he spoke, you knew he held authority over you both. You slowly nodded to acknowledge him, eyes fixated on his countenance. His eyes narrowed once they finally met yours.

"Go inside the house. Your presence is not needed here."

Never had you heard such cold words since just departing from your captor. Being consistently blunt and demanding, already you knew who was top dog at this home. Even so, something about him just rubbed you the wrong way. Oh if only you had the strength, the freedom even to truly speak your mind. Nonetheless you hardly knew him or the consequences of such actions. Fist clenched you merely lowered your head and nodded.

In the attempt to pull your hand away, you felt Azusa's hold grow tighter. The man shot a look towards him. All you could do was hold your breath. Such direct defiance made the air tense. A heavy silence pervaded the scene. The man held his gaze showing no signs of backing down. You felt Azusa wince a bit before looking away again. As you felt his grip loosen you looked him over before letting him go. Timidly you crept away to the grand doorway of the mansion, more than happy to depart from it all.

Azusa watched you go; a slight frown upon his face. As he stared off in your direction, absentmindedly he took several steps in your direction. The man halted his footsteps by stepping in front of his path. Azusa stole one last look before returning his gaze back to him. "Ruki...she…" He merely made a motion for Azusa to follow. With a sigh he obeyed. Ruki made sure to walk by his side in assurance to stop any form of rebellion.

...

You remained still as you hid in the adjacent room. All you heard was the light tap of footsteps gradually fading down the hall. Even then you didn't dare move until you were certain they were long past. With a sigh you relaxed you muscles. Looking all about, you took in what you could of your surroundings. There was little light present so there wasn't much you could do. You began to let it all sink in; this present situation. This is your new home.

It was hard to believe you were finally liberated from the clutch of that man: Karlheinz. Of course you were more than thankful for that. He no longer had to swoop in and save you from the very monsters he'd tossed you to. Those damned beasts no longer had free claim in their desire to tear you apart. At the very least now you have protection, not to mention a luxurious home as opposed to a solitary room. Even so, your mind drifted to whom you had been taken by. You shuddered. Is this really better?

You found your way to a comfortable place nearby the far end of the room. Sitting upon it you clutched your knees. You felt as if you'd break down and weep from all the immense pressure that was placed upon you. Look at you, being thrown into yet another bleak reality.

'Fight it.' You tell yourself. Shaky and uncertain, you still held onto that single spark of resolve to stay strong. You sat there, gently rocking yourself as you stared off at the ground. You felt as if you'd drown in uncertainty and despair. Unbeknownst to you, soon you found yourself falling asleep as you were, with a heavy heart.

* * *

 ** _Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such._**

 ** _Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that_**


End file.
